Feeding method and apparatus for paper or the like



July 17, 1956 A. R. LUBERSKY FEEDING METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PAPER ORTHE LIKE Filed Jan. 5, 1953 INVENTOR. ALBERT R LUBE/78K) BY M W ATTORNEYUnited States Patent board Products Inc., San Francisco, Calif., 21corporation of Delaware Application January 5, 1953, Serial No. 329,509

6 Claims. (Ci. 271-'-36 This invention relates to the feeding of paperor the like, and moreparticularly to the feeding of stacked paperboardsheets.

Ithas heretofore been common practice in the paper industry to feedindividual sheets of paperboard or paper from stacks thereof by moving arubber member, which may be a covering on a combing wheel or a coveringon an endless belt, in frictional engagement against the respectivesheets in the stack. The sheets may be fed to any conventional apparatusin the plant for performing an operation thereon, such as setting upmachinery for paperboard carton blanks. The rubber member, heretofore,employed has had a relatively smooth surface. This frequently results inmisses because such rubber member collects soil and fiber from thesheets as it continually engages them, which causes slickness,thusreducing the frictional effect of the rubber surface, andnecessitating frequent cleaning to maintain the rubber surface incondition.

The problem is particularly troublesome in connection with the feedingof paper or paperboard sheets which have ink printing on their surfaces,because when the rubber feed member misses because of slickness, thiscauses smearing of the ink over the sheet. Also, should the sheets havewax surface coatings, slickness of the smooth surfaced feed memberdevelops rapidly.

Summarizing this invention, it has as its objects, among others, theprovision of a simple and economical method and member for the feedingof paper or the like sheets, and in which the feed member issubstantially self cleaning and provides enhanced frictional engagementwith the sheets so as to obviate misses substantially. This isaccomplished by employing a resilient feed member which is composed of aplurality of individual resilient sections movable relative to eachother, and moving such feed member in frictional engagement against therespective sheets to be fed. The feed member is preferably ofconventional relatively soft rubber heretofore employed in conventionalfeeding apparatus of the type related, but it is provided with aplurality or multiplicity of relatively closely spaced cuts in the formof slashes which thus form the plurality of individual resilientsections movable relative to each other.

Referring to'the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional elevation of a conventional form ofpaperboard carton blank feed mechanism embodying a combing wheel withwhich the feed member of this invention is employed.

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the feed member itself which is intheform of a tire or ring adapted to provide a covering over the combingwheel.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the rubber ring of Fig.2 but in which portions of the ring are distorted by being heldtogether, for purposes of illus tration, to indicate more clearlyformation of cuts in the ring.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of another form of combing wheelembodying spaced feed members, and

2,755,086 Patented July 17, 1956 which may be employed in the apparatusof Fig. 1 for providing a conventional so-called intermittent feed.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view similar to Fig. 1 of another form of feedingapparatus of the so-called bottom continuous feed type, and in which thefeeding member of this invention is employed.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary isometric View, partly in section, illustratingthe construction of the belt and feed member employed in the apparatusof Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail on an enlarged scale showing a portion of thestructure shown in Fig. 1 illustrating approximately the action of theflexible finger ribs in removing a blank from the stack and illustratingthe relative rubbing movement between the finger ribs by which thecleaning action is attained.

Referring to the apparatus of Fig. 1 which is of the socalled topcombing continuous feed type, it comprises an inclined support table 2on which is supported astack of individual paperboard carton blanks 3;the blanks being mounted edgewise and all inclined relative to table 2.The usual dam' or choke member 4 is provided adjacentthe discharge endof table 2 so as to insure that only one paperboard sheetor blank,namely, the outermost one, is fed at a time. A continuously rotatablecombing wheel 6 is provided adjacent choke 4, which is driven in acounterclockwise direction with reference to Fig. 1 to effect feeding ofthe respective carton. sheets onto a continuously moving endlessconveyor 7 which conducts the respective sheets to the equipment. (notshown), for example, setting. up equipment, which is to operate on theblanks. Combing wheel 6 and conveyor 7 are driven by any suitable means.

The feed member of this invention is employed as a covering or tire oncombing wheel 6, being in the form of a rubber ring 8; the rubber beingany conventional relatively soft rubber employed in conventional rubberfeed devices. It frictionally engages the respective sheets 3 as theyare supported on table 2 to cause the respective sheets to be moved ontoconveyor 7; the stack of sheets being fed against the combing wheel byan operator.

In accordance with. the invention, rubber ring 8 isprovided with aplurality of relatively closely, or finely spaced and substantiallyparallel. cuts 9 in the form of slashes that extend crosswise the full.width and radially of the ring, about the entire periphery thereof.These cuts are of such character that substantially no material isremoved during their formation, as they are formed with a sharprazor-like cutting instrument to' provide true slashes. As a result ofthe formation of the slashes, a plurality of individual resilient fingerrib sections 11 are provided at the surface of the ring which aremovable by bending or flexing relative to each other, in the approximatemanner shown in. Fig. 7; all adjacent sections 11 being in surface tosurface contact with each other in the undistorted'position of the ring.

This structure not only provides for a self cleaning effect but.enhances frictional engagement with the sheets, thus minimizing misses.Soil, such as dirt, and fiber which may collect on the feed memberthrough constant engagement With the sheets being fed is readily cleanedoif because of the self cleaning effect due to the relative movementbetween resilient sections 11. At the same time, slickness'of the feedsurface of the feed ring is obviated' substantially. Incontradistinct-ion to rubber feed members having relatively smooth feedsurfaces which have been previously employed and which had tobe cleaneda couple times an hour, the feed member of this invention need usuallyonly be cleaned not more than a couple of times a day.

The depth of the slashes may vary considerably depending upon thethickness of the rubber of the feed member; and their spacing may alsovary. Usually, the

deeper the slashes and the closer they are with respect to each other,the better. A suitable depth of the slashes on a feed ring is about ofan inch with a spacing of about 3 of an inch between the adjacentslashes. In the preferred form, the slashes are at a right angle to theside of the ring, but they may be disposed at an oblique angle if sodesired.

Figure 4 illustrates a conventional so-called intermit tent feed combingwheel which may be employed in the form of apparatus illustrated inFig. 1. Spaced sections 12 of the combing wheel have highly polishedmetal surfaces so that no feeding is effected when these sections are inengagement with the respective sheets. Other spaced sections areprovided with slashed rubber coverings 13 of the character described tothus effect feeding of the sheets intermittently as the combing wheel iscontinuously rotated. Sections 13 are in the form of arcuately shapedinserts mounted on the combing wheel in the conventional mannerheretofore employed for mounting similar smooth surfaced rubber insertson wheels of such character.

Fig. illustrates a conventional so-called bottom continuous feed type ofapparatus in which the stack 14 of paperboard sheets 3 is supported in avertical column on an endless belt conveyor 16 with the lowermost sheetof the stack resting on the belt; the belt being continuously driven inthe direction indicated by the direction arrow in Fig. 5. A conventionaldam or choke member 17 is provided ahead of stack 14 to permit only onesheet, namely, the lowermost one, to be removed from the stack at atime. Belt 16 is provided with a slashed rubber covering 18 of thecharacter described; the covering being vulcanized to a rubberizedfabric backing 19 forming part of the belt. Slashes 21 also extendcrosswise the full width of the belt at a right angle to the sidesthereof. They are preferably spaced approximately ,4 of an inch apart,are substantially parallel, and extend all along the entire surface ofcovering 18.

As hereinbefore stated, any matter which may collect on the feed memberthrough its engagement with the sheets being fed is readily cleaned offby reason of the self-cleaning action which results from the relativemovement between the resilient rib fingers. Fig. 7 illustrates on anenlarged scale the approximate movement of the fingers as they engage ablank to draw it off from the stack onto the conveyor 7. As will bereadily appreciated, the positioning of the comb wheel 6 with respect tothe adjacent choke 4 and the stack of blanks is initially such that somemoderate degree of pressure will be maintained between the thin fingerribs 11 and the adjacent blank, that is, the topmost blank 3 of thestack. Accordingly as the wheel is rotated in the direction indicated bythe arrow, these finger ribs will tend to drag against the surface ofthe adjacent blank and due to the frictional engagement with the blankthey will be bent or flexed rearwardly as shown. In this action thecircular peripheral surface contour of the wheel will be interrupted orbroken as indicated at 11 as a result of which it will be seen that anycoating which may have formed across the slashes on the end edge surfaceof the finger ribs will be broken and also in this action and thebending or flexing action of the finger ribs the adhering material willbe detached as the finger ribs slide or are rubbed one against anotheras they will be as further flexing takes place. In Fig. 7 this bendingor flexing of the finger ribs shows at 11 how the edge surfaces of thefingers will move along adjacent faces of following finger ribs tofurther effectively rub off any particles which may be adhering to theribs. Due to this drag action the engaged blank will he slipped from thetop of the stack across the top corner of the choke 4 approximately inthe manner illustrated in Fig. 7.

While the illustration of the manner in which the finger ribs flex andthe description have been applied to the embodiment illustrated in Fig.1, it is believed that it will be readily apparent that the same flexingaction of the fingers and consequently the same rubbing together of theadjacent faces will be had in the form of the invention illustrated inFig. 5. This will be so because the weight of the stack of blanks on theupwardly directed edges of the thin finger ribs 21 taken with thedragging movement of the fingers against the under face of the lowermostblank in the forward movement of the top run of the belt will compel thefinger ribs to flex or bend and thus rub together in much the same wayas they are shown in Fig. 7.

I claim:

1. A sheet material feeding device comprising an endless band of a softelastic material, said band having inner and outer surfaces of a widthmaterially greater than its thickness, the band having relatively finelyspaced and relatively deep slashes therein across its outer surface andthroughout the length of the band, the slashes having a depth at leastapproximately three times the spacing of the slashes, said slashes eachbeing continuous across the full width of the band and forming flexiblefinger ribs extending entirely across the width of the band.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said slashes have a depthgreater than half the thickness of the band.

3. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said endless band is inthe form of a soft rubber ring.

4. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said endless band is inthe form of a soft rubber ring and said slashes are straight and lie inplanes radially thereof.

5. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the slashes forming saidfinger ribs provide the ribs with opposing faces which are in rubbingcontact.

6. A sheet material feeding device comprising a means for maintaining aplurality of sheets in a prescribed stacked position, said stackmaintaining means being so constructed and arranged as to facilitate theremoval of a terminal sheet from the stack, a continuously movable sheetremoving body adjacent to said first means and having a wide endlesssurface disposed for movement across and in contact with at least a partof an opposing surface of a terminal sheet of an adjacent stack. saidsheet removing body comprising at least in part a soft elastic portionhaving relatively finely spaced and relatively deep slashes extendingacross the full width of said surface, the slashes having a depth atleast approximately three times the spacing of the slashes, the slashesbeing continuous across the full width of said surface and formingflexible finger ribs for yieldingly engaging the said opposing surfaceof a sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.23,181 Clark Dec. 13, 1949 1,457,158 Gammeter May 29, 1923 2,197,662Hughes Apr. 16, 1940 2,200,842 Gray May 14, 1940 2,224,886 Tyler Dec.17, 1940 2,240,426 Bourdon May 6, 1941 2,592,581 Lorig Apr. 15, 1952

